Emphasize the fact that the act of dedication, like the new birth, is instantaneous, but transformation is a process; also, that “being filled with the Holy Spirit,” an expression found in the New Testament and often quoted by earnest Christians, does not denote a finality. It is rather an indication of the controlling Power who is filling the personality of the believer. One familiar with New Testament Greek would easily discover that the tense used forbids the thought of the personality being filled once for all with the Holy Spirit, so that no more of His presence might enter. The word picture is that of a pipe connected with a never failing spring, through which the water is constantly flowing, rather than that of a bottle full of water but tightly corked.
Nowhere in the Scriptures is there promised a personal filling with the Spirit which shall be in any sense final; and it is only as a crisis of appropriation which leads to a daily process of renewal, that we are called to be filled.” (Rev. J. Stuart Holden, in The Price of Power)
Therefore we see that the normal daily life of a yielded Christian may be described as
A moment by moment faith in a moment by moment Savior, for a moment by moment cleansing, and a moment by moment filling. As I trust Him, He fills me; so long as I trust Him, He fills me. The moment I begin to believe, that moment I begin to receive; and so long as I keep believing, praise the Lord, so long I keep receiving. (Rev. Charles Inwood)
Another subject must now be introduced. Not only must the believer manifest his identification with Christ in His death to sin, and his freedom from the dominion of the self-life; but he must also manifest His victory over Satan. Many Christians fail at this point because they do not plainly see that the victory over Satan really has been won. They speak of this victory in the future tense instead of the past; therefore the teacher must again refer to the significance of Christ’s Ascension, which proves that He had previously overcome the entire force of evil, ere He passed through the aerial region of Satan and “sat down,” with the majestic calmness of a mighty Conqueror, at God’s right hand. Have the class read Ephesians 1:20-23; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8 again and again, until the crushed head of the serpent is plainly seen. Pray that they may see this and realize the sense of freedom and victory that comes as a result.
Well has Andrew Murray expressed the truth, when he says, “In the invisible world the Cross is the symbol of victory.” The fact that God’s Word declares that Christ has overcome Satan and made of him and his evil host “an open show” proves the possibility of victory, for the Christian identified with the Victorious Lord, over all the power of the enemy.
Although utterly defeated, Satan has sought to keep human beings in ignorance of his defeat, that he may still hold them in his power. As the Holy Spirit reveals the triumph of Christ and the believer sees his identification with the Victor of Calvary, he passes beyond the reach of the defeated one into that place where “the wicked one toucheth him not.” (See 1 John 5:18.) Henceforth he regards Satan as a defeated foe, and united with the Conqueror and in utter dependence upon Him, he uses His authority over all the power of the defeated enemy. (See Luke 10:19.) Encourage the class to speak of Satan as the defeated one. This simple expression conveys to the evil intelligences the fact that the one using it has found out the truth concerning the Victory of Calvary and is identified with the Victor.
It will be well for the teacher to lead the class to a better understanding of the condition of the invisible but real world of spirits, so far as the Bible throws light upon the same.
We must remember that Satan is not omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent, since these are attributes of Deity alone. He would like to have us think that he possesses the attributes of Deity, and many Christians speak as if they considered this to be the case. He is commonly spoken of as if he were everywhere; by a figure of speech using his name for his emissaries, as a general’s name is used to indicate the army under his command. And Satan is like a general in this respect-he has hosts, varying in rank and power under his command, who execute his carefully laid plans of warfare. Thus we read in Ephesians 6:10-18 of principalities, powers, world-rulers and wicked spirits under his command, arrayed against the people of God. We also find the armor of the Christian described. As we carefully study this passage we find that the Christian who is appropriating the life of Christ moment by moment, and who is believing the Word of God in regard to His victory over Satan, is “more than conqueror” in every conflict.
The following quotation may be of help to the teacher at this point:
The redeemed one who has been shown the truth of Christ’s Complete Victory over Satan, and of his own complete identification with his Victorious Lord, knows that he is in a place of safety. He rests upon the fact that his life is hid with Christ in God; therefore the wicked one toucheth him not. With Satan as a personality, he has but one thing to do, and that is to reckon upon the fact of his identification with his Ascended Lord sitting in the calmness of assured victory. This attitude of victory and unceasing prayer in the Spirit also powerfully affects the aerial messengers of the defeated one, those mighty fallen angels who seem to exercise especial power over the nations or localities respectively assigned them. See Daniel 10, particularly verses 13, 20-21, where two of these princes of Satan are named-the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece. Michael, one of God’s angels, is also mentioned. (Read this chapter and the preceding chapter to see more clearly the relation between the prayers of God’s people and this aerial activity.)
Although direct combat with these aerial messengers of Satan is entrusted to God’s aerial messengers, the holy angels, rather than to redeemed human beings, yet to us is given authority over demons, to be exercised at the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The fact that evil spirits (or demons) are exerting such tremendous influence upon persons at the present time should cause all earnest Christians to desire all the light that God has given concerning the way to keep clear of their ensnaring, and also the knowledge necessary to be used in delivering those who have become bound.
Home | First | Prev | Next